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Friday, August 15, 2014

Grilled Zucchini Pizza Slices (Low-Carb, Gluten-Free)

Grilled Zucchini Pizza Slices are a healthier pizza option, which just might satisfy that pizza craving!

(For Phase One Fridays I feature Phase One Recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites. Phase One Recipes are also Low-Carb and Gluten-Free. This recipe from 2010 has not only been hugely popular on the blog, but it's perfect to make this time of year when those giant zucchinis seem to spring up overnight in the garden. If you don't have a huge zucchini to slice for the pizza base, you can use smaller zucchini sliced lengthwise. This is a great way to fight that pizza craving, and using low-fat turkey pepperoni makes it a pretty diet-friendly recipe for a dish that's loaded with pepperoni and cheese.)

Even so, this is only a recipe in the very loosest sense of the word, because anything you like on pizza could be cooked on top of a thick slice of grilled or broiled zucchini. I'm a pepperoni girl, so of course I had to have that, but the topping options are endless here. Admittedly, this is not a pizza in the truest sense of the word, but if you'd like pizza flavors with a "crust" that's gluten-free, low-glycemic, and low-carb, this is an idea you may end up liking just as much as I did!

I used an over-sized 8-Ball zucchini to make my pizza, but any large zucchini could be used here. You may want to slice it lengthwise if it's a long zucchini. (I wouldn't use the enormous zucchinis that are mostly seeds inside.) In an earlier post I shared the types of sauce, pepperoni, and cheese I use to make South Beach Diet Friendly Flatbread Pizza. I do like the Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce I used in that recipe, but this time I didn't want to drive to Whole Foods, so I was pleased to discover that this sauce from my neighborhood grocer also only had 3 grams of sugar per 1/4 cup.

Cut slices of zucchini about 3/4 inch thick, then brush both sides lightly with olive oil.

Grill the zucchini slices on one side for about 7-8 minutes, or until there are some grill marks and the zucchini is starting to get tender. (If the slice has one side that's larger, grill that side first so it's the top of the pizza.) If you don't have a grill, this could definitely be cooked under the broiler.

Remove the zucchini slices from the grill and put on a cutting board with grilled side up so you can carry them into the kitchen to add the toppings.

I put about 1 T pizza sauce on the top of each zucchini slice, but the amount will depend on how big your slices of zucchini are. You can heat the sauce if you'd like, but next time I might not bother. (I think Basil Pesto or some type of white sauce would also taste great on this.)

Then put other toppings as desired on top of the sauce. I added a pinch of pizza cheese, a few slices of turkey pepperoni, and then a slight sprinkle of additional cheese. (I used to laugh when Emeril said on TV "We're really cooking here," but you can see there was no food stylist for this shot. Sorry about the messy photo, but you get the idea.)

Then put the topped pizzas back on the grill (or under the broiler) and cook for 7-8 minutes more (or probably less time for broiling.)

Remove pizza from the grill and serve hot! This pizza will be a hit with zucchini-loving adults who like pizza. I'm not sure if kids who were real picky about veggies would eat this, but I'm guessing quite a few kids would like it.

Grilled Zucchini Pizza Slices
(This "recipe" is just a guideline, adjust amounts to make as many pizzas as you'd like. I thought about using grilled zucchini as a base for pizza for a while, but Alea's Eggplant Pizza Bites at $5 Dinners were what motivated me to try it.)

--large zucchini slices, cut 3/4 inch thick (see recipe notes)
--olive oil, for lightly brushing both sides of pizza and oiling grill grate
--pizza sauce of your choice (I used canned red sauce, but you could also use Basil Pesto or white sauce. Extra sauce can be frozen for later. Choose sauce with the lowest grams of sugar for the South Beach Diet.)
--grated cheese (I used a blend of low-fat cheese called "pizza cheese," but you can use any cheese you'd enjoy on pizza.

--pizza toppings of your choice (I used low-fat turkey pepperoni, but you can also use sauteed mushrooms, Canadian bacon, cooked sausage, caramelized onions, sliced olives, anchovies, sauteed bell peppers, or any other toppings you'd like on pizza.)

Oil the grill grates (I use a bit of oil on a paper towel), then preheat grill to medium-high. (If using a broiler, it should be reheated as well.)

Cut zucchini into thick slices about 3/4 inch thick. (I used 8-Ball zucchini, which made lovely round slices, but you can cut the zucchini into round slices or lengthwise slices, depending on what shape the zucchini is. I wouldn't use enormous zucchini with large seeds for this recipe.)

Grill the zucchini 7-8 minutes, or until there are some grill marks and it's starting to be tender. (If the zucchini has a side that's slightly larger, grill that first so it will be the "top.") If desired, you can heat the sauce while the zucchini grills. (I did, but next time I might not bother.)

Remove zucchini from the grill, putting them grilled-side up on a cutting board you can use to take them to the kitchen. Add sauce, cheese, and other toppings as desired. (I spread each slice of zucchini with about 1 T red pizza sauce, then sprinkled each piece with a generous pinch of pizza cheese, added 4-5 slices of turkey pepperoni, and sprinkled over a tiny bit more cheese.)

Put loaded zucchini slices back on the grill and cook 7-8 minutes more with the grill lid closed. (Check them every few minutes to see when the cheese is melted and the toppings are lightly browned, especially if you're using a broiler. If you have a gas grill where you can regulate the heat, I turned it to high when I put the pizza back on.)

Remove zucchini pizzas from grill and serve hot. (I doubt this would reheat that well, but if anyone has leftovers and tries reheating it I'd love to hear how it works.)

Using grilled zucchini instead of a crust makes this a more low-glycemic pizza option for the South Beach Diet, but you still need to use toppings that aren't too high in fat for the South Beach Diet. (I talk more about reduced-fat pizza toppings in the recipe for South Beach Diet Friendly Flatbread Pizza.) For other low-carb diets, this would be a great choice.

Nutritional Information?
I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you.

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Posts may include links to my affiliate account at Amazon.com, and this blog earns a few cents on the dollar if readers purchase the items I recommend, so thanks for supporting my blog when you shop at Amazon!

Great idea! I've seen zucchini used in a pizza crust, all grated and made with eggs and such, but this simplifies the whole thing immensely. And eggplant would be gorgeous in it too. I used eggplant as a burger bun this summer, just impromptu, and it got me thinking about some great uses for eggplant.

I made this with Eggplant instead of Zucchini's because of the abundance of it we have been getting from our farm share. It is fantastic! My husband loves it too. A co-worker tried it with the eggplant and loved it. She also replaced the eggplant/zucchini with a portabella mushroom and said it gave a larger surface and was delicious. Thank you for all of your SB phase 1 recipies. It has been helping us for weeks!!!!!!!!

I just made these and they were so delicious! What a great idea! They didn't have the eight ball zucchini at my grocery so I just used zucchini squash and made mini pizzas. Absolutely loved them, thanks so much!

Barbara, you can make this with larger zucchini cut in slices, but the 8-ball zucchini are really perfect and the flesh is firmer (not like the big zucchini with a lot of seeds in the middle. And they're great for plain grilled zucchini too.

On day 3 of SBD and made these tonight. DELICIOUS!! Added some red bell pepper and some romano cheese for flavor. Even my 2 year old son was excited for his "pee-puhs" for dinner! :) Thanks for the recipe and for this blog! Love it :)

As always, I love your recipes! Tried these tonight with 2 versions. One set I did the pepperoni kind, the other I did pesto sauce, six-blend shredded italian cheese and sun dried tomato. I couldn't pick a favorite, they were both so delicious! Additionally I did 2 large portabella mushrooms of each version... the mushrooms were awesome, but the zucchini knocked it outta the ballpark!

I haven't tried it with eggplant, but there is a comment from someone here who made it with eggplant and said it worked well. I think eggplant is a bit softer after it's grilled so I might cut it a bit thicker and maybe cook a slightly shorter time.

I also found this on Pinterest and it looks great! I'm going to be cooking this tonight but am swapping the zucchini for pumpkin (I love roasted pumpkin skin so I think it will be a nice alternative, I hope!).

Kalyn, I was wondering if these were made in the oven (broiling them), which side would you put the toppings on? I see that when you grill them you put the toppings on the grilled side, would the oven be the same?

Emm, if using a broiler I'd broil one side for a little shorter time than in the recipe, then turn it over and broil the other side, then put the toppings on one of the broiled sides. I'd watch it carefully in the broiler and maybe not put it too close to the heat when you do the final broiling with the toppings on.

What a super great idea! I think I may make these as hour'dourves for my next party. Maybe use all three, eggplant, zucchini and the yellow squash for variety and color on a tray. How cool is this? Thanks for the great suggestion.

Enjoyed these tonight. Couldn't find 8-ball zucchini, so just used regular zucchini. I sliced them in half and took off a bit on each underside so they would sit on the pan. Since it's winter-time I broiled them... they turned out really yummy! Thank you for sharing your recipe. I will make them again!

Jamie, I can't allow my recipes to be reposted in other places on the web, because that interferes with my google search results. However, you can make the recipe, rewrite it in your own words and share it with your own photos if you credit me as the original source. I also don't mind if you use my photo and share it with a link to the recipe on my site, as long as you don't reprint the recipe.

We made these tonight on the grill and we were pretty disappointed. My gluten free 6 y/o tried to just eat the pepperoni off them and then decided to just eat his potatoes instead. My 10 y/o ate two and asked to not have any more. My 15 y/o ate four but said the taste was too much zucchini and thought maybe if they were super thin they wouldn't dominate. My husband liked them okay but he's pretty easy. :) I ate a few but I don't think I'll make them again. This is a fine idea if you really like the taste of zucchini but if you have a pizza craving it's just not going to do the trick for some folks, I'm afraid.

I made this last night with the abundance of zucchini I had from my garden! Results? 4 out of 6 loved them! My husband and I, my 22 year old daughter, and my 18 month old grandson all thought they were delicious. My 19 year old ate 1, then joined her 14 year old sister (who wouldn't even try it) in making bagel pizzas. I used sharp cheddar cheese on half of them and mozzarella on the other half. Both were delicious! Will make it again (and provide an alternative for those who don't care for that much zucchini!)

Thanks for joining the conversation! I love hearing from readers and even though I can't always reply to every comment, I will always answer specific questions on a recipe as soon as possible. Sometimes I'm answering by iPhone, so my replies may be short!

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